The Third Rwandan Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP III) provides strategic guidance to the health sector for six years, between July 2012 and June 2018. HSSP III has been inspired and guided by the VISION 2020, which will make Rwanda a lower-middle-income country by 2020; the Rwandan Health Policy of 2004; and the priorities set out by the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS 2008–2012). The following priorities have been adopted for HSSP III implementation: sustain the achievements in the fight for Maternal and Child Health and against infectious diseases; improve accessibility to health services; improve quality of health provision; reinforce institutional strengthening; and improve quality and quantity of human resources for health. One of the objectives of the Plan is to reduce environmental and social risk factors that have direct impact on health through improving food safety, hygiene and nutrition services as well as promoting use of safe water and good sanitation practices, such as promoting access to water, sanitation and hygiene especially in the health facilities, in the public services and in the communities. Nutrition is a key factor on this, and the document settles as a baseline target to enhance and expand nutrition surveillance and interventions to reduce by half the number of malnourished children. The health sector aims to strengthen community-based growth monitoring, nutrition education and support nutrition supplementary community projects, such as gardening and small livestock. Some of the actions envisioned by the strategy in order to reduce food insecurity and malnutrition are to: strengthen early identification and management of under-nutrition, including the response to their underlying causes; eliminate micronutrient deficiencies; promote food security at the household, community, and national level; promote nutrition in preschool education and school environments; Implement multisectoral District Plans to Eliminate Malnutrition (DPEMs); Prevent and manage nutritional deficiencies and excess-related diseases; Promote behavior change communications for nutrition, including the national campaign of ―1,000 days in the land of the 1,000 hills; Improve monitoring and evaluation for nutrition activities; and Improve coordination with all nutrition partners. The policy also seeks to contribute to EDPRS II Thematic Areas. In that sense, it highlights how the health sector can make crucial contributions to improving living conditions in rural areas of the country and to reduce the number of persons in severe poverty. To do so, the overall objective of the HSSP III includes a commitment to ensure geographical and financial accessibility of quality health services, which is a particular challenge in rural areas due to dispersed populations and a higher percentage of poor people. The HSSP III addresses these issues through strategies that seek to expand the network of health facilities, in particular health centers and provincial hospitals, and to improve the quality and quantity of service delivery by community health workers, health posts, health centers, and district hospitals. The document highlights how the construction works related to the infrastructures extension can create jobs and this will increase the employment rate in rural areas and thus the financial status of the population will improve. As to financial accessibility and protection, the HSSP III aims at attaining and maintaining universal health insurance coverage through CBHI and improving the functioning and sustainability of the insurance system. Moreover, the health of young people is a new focus of the HSSP III, in particular adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights, which will help empower the Rwandan youth to obtain the qualifications they need at the labor market. Gender mainstreaming and community participation shall also be central in the planning and implementation of all health policies and programmes. Finally, regarding governance, the Ministry of Health is the main authority responsible for the strategy implementation. Monitoring and evaluation will take place at every stage of implementation and will allow the Ministry of Health to continuously improve programme planning, implementation, and decision-making. Monitoring and evaluation related to HSSP II will take place under the Malawi National Health Information System Strategy (2017-2022). The Central Monitoring and Evaluation Department of the Ministry of Health will be the primary stakeholder responsible for the HSSP II monitoring and evaluation.
رواندا · 2012-01-01